“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that is popular during the holidays, as it is set during Christmastime. The score is by celebrated Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet begins with a Christmas party, a battle scene with mice, and a journey through the Land of Snow.
In the second act of “The Nutcracker,” the main characters, Clara and Prince, arrive at the Land of Sweets where they are welcomed by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“Everything Clara could see was made of sugar. There were trees laden with sweets, and a gleaming palace built out of jelly beans with a shiny white roof made of sugar icing. A sugar plum fairy arrived to greet them.”
Let the Dances Begin
When the characters describe their daring battle with the mice army, the Sugar Plum Fairy rewards them with a celebration of dances.
Different nationalities are represented by the dances of the sweets. When the ballet was created, several foreign delicacies were very special and rare. People did not travel the world frequently, so foreign products were much harder to get.
The following dances performed by the sweets represent delicacies that were considered special enough to be a part of Clara’s fantasy world. The dancers’ costumes resemble the “sweets” they bring from their countries.
Special Dance Description
Spanish Dance: Chocolate Chocolate characters dance to the lively music of trumpets and castanets of the Spanish fandango.
Arabian Dance: Coffee The women of coffee dance in veils and move their bodies like rising steam to an Arabian song.
Chinese Dance: Tea Mandarin tea dances to an exotic Asian flute chorus.
Russian Dance: Candy Canes Matryoshkas (Russian dolls) follow the Mandarin tea with leaping and dancing to an invigorating Russian trepak dance.
Mother Ginger: Bon-bons A giant gingerbread house, known as Mother Ginger, dances onto the Sugar Plum Fairy’s court. She opens her skirt and eight little gingerbread children come dancing out circling around her.
Reed Flutes: Marzipan This is also known as The Dance of the Mirlitons, with its delightful scoring for flutes. A mirliton is both a small sweet French cake and a type of musical instrument that produces a coarse, reedy sound.
Waltz of the Flowers Dancing flowers enter to the tune of the harp to perform a beautiful waltz.
Dance of the Dew Drop Fairy The flowers dance in beautiful mesmerizing patterns as a single Dewdrop floats above them.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy A handsome cavalier enters the scene and escorts the Sugar Plum Fairy to the center of the room. They dance to the most recognizable song in the entire ballet. The captivating pair dance lighter than air.
The dances in the Land of the Sweets are usually standard in performances of “The Nutcracker,” but are not always performed in this order.
End of the Act
The end of the act concludes when Clara’s dream fades away as the people of the Land of Sweets bid her farewell. She awakes at home next to her Christmas tree and nutcracker toy, where her majestic dream began.
Discover the Many Roles in Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”
Guide to ‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet
Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet
Act One of The Nutcracker Ballet
Interesting Facts and Details About “The Nutcracker” Ballet
Which ballets were composed by Tchaikovsky?
All About the Main Female Character in the Nutcracker Ballet
Top 24 Composers of the Romantic Era
The Most Famous Classical Ballets of All Time
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
Photos of Famous People in Figure Skating
Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010
The Top 100 Christmas Songs
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Ballet
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
Top 10 Songs About Rain
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When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that is popular during the holidays, as it is set during Christmastime. The score is by celebrated Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet begins with a Christmas party, a battle scene with mice, and a journey through the Land of Snow.
In the second act of “The Nutcracker,” the main characters, Clara and Prince, arrive at the Land of Sweets where they are welcomed by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“Everything Clara could see was made of sugar. There were trees laden with sweets, and a gleaming palace built out of jelly beans with a shiny white roof made of sugar icing. A sugar plum fairy arrived to greet them.”
Let the Dances Begin
When the characters describe their daring battle with the mice army, the Sugar Plum Fairy rewards them with a celebration of dances.
Different nationalities are represented by the dances of the sweets. When the ballet was created, several foreign delicacies were very special and rare. People did not travel the world frequently, so foreign products were much harder to get.
The following dances performed by the sweets represent delicacies that were considered special enough to be a part of Clara’s fantasy world. The dancers’ costumes resemble the “sweets” they bring from their countries.
Special Dance Description
Spanish Dance: Chocolate Chocolate characters dance to the lively music of trumpets and castanets of the Spanish fandango.
Arabian Dance: Coffee The women of coffee dance in veils and move their bodies like rising steam to an Arabian song.
Chinese Dance: Tea Mandarin tea dances to an exotic Asian flute chorus.
Russian Dance: Candy Canes Matryoshkas (Russian dolls) follow the Mandarin tea with leaping and dancing to an invigorating Russian trepak dance.
Mother Ginger: Bon-bons A giant gingerbread house, known as Mother Ginger, dances onto the Sugar Plum Fairy’s court. She opens her skirt and eight little gingerbread children come dancing out circling around her.
Reed Flutes: Marzipan This is also known as The Dance of the Mirlitons, with its delightful scoring for flutes. A mirliton is both a small sweet French cake and a type of musical instrument that produces a coarse, reedy sound.
Waltz of the Flowers Dancing flowers enter to the tune of the harp to perform a beautiful waltz.
Dance of the Dew Drop Fairy The flowers dance in beautiful mesmerizing patterns as a single Dewdrop floats above them.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy A handsome cavalier enters the scene and escorts the Sugar Plum Fairy to the center of the room. They dance to the most recognizable song in the entire ballet. The captivating pair dance lighter than air.
The dances in the Land of the Sweets are usually standard in performances of “The Nutcracker,” but are not always performed in this order.
End of the Act
The end of the act concludes when Clara’s dream fades away as the people of the Land of Sweets bid her farewell. She awakes at home next to her Christmas tree and nutcracker toy, where her majestic dream began.
Discover the Many Roles in Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”
Guide to ‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet
Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet
Act One of The Nutcracker Ballet
Interesting Facts and Details About “The Nutcracker” Ballet
Which ballets were composed by Tchaikovsky?
All About the Main Female Character in the Nutcracker Ballet
Top 24 Composers of the Romantic Era
The Most Famous Classical Ballets of All Time
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
Photos of Famous People in Figure Skating
Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010
The Top 100 Christmas Songs
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Ballet
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
Top 10 Songs About Rain
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that is popular during the holidays, as it is set during Christmastime. The score is by celebrated Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet begins with a Christmas party, a battle scene with mice, and a journey through the Land of Snow.
In the second act of “The Nutcracker,” the main characters, Clara and Prince, arrive at the Land of Sweets where they are welcomed by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“Everything Clara could see was made of sugar. There were trees laden with sweets, and a gleaming palace built out of jelly beans with a shiny white roof made of sugar icing. A sugar plum fairy arrived to greet them.”
Let the Dances Begin
When the characters describe their daring battle with the mice army, the Sugar Plum Fairy rewards them with a celebration of dances.
Different nationalities are represented by the dances of the sweets. When the ballet was created, several foreign delicacies were very special and rare. People did not travel the world frequently, so foreign products were much harder to get.
The following dances performed by the sweets represent delicacies that were considered special enough to be a part of Clara’s fantasy world. The dancers’ costumes resemble the “sweets” they bring from their countries.
Special Dance Description
Spanish Dance: Chocolate Chocolate characters dance to the lively music of trumpets and castanets of the Spanish fandango.
Arabian Dance: Coffee The women of coffee dance in veils and move their bodies like rising steam to an Arabian song.
Chinese Dance: Tea Mandarin tea dances to an exotic Asian flute chorus.
Russian Dance: Candy Canes Matryoshkas (Russian dolls) follow the Mandarin tea with leaping and dancing to an invigorating Russian trepak dance.
Mother Ginger: Bon-bons A giant gingerbread house, known as Mother Ginger, dances onto the Sugar Plum Fairy’s court. She opens her skirt and eight little gingerbread children come dancing out circling around her.
Reed Flutes: Marzipan This is also known as The Dance of the Mirlitons, with its delightful scoring for flutes. A mirliton is both a small sweet French cake and a type of musical instrument that produces a coarse, reedy sound.
Waltz of the Flowers Dancing flowers enter to the tune of the harp to perform a beautiful waltz.
Dance of the Dew Drop Fairy The flowers dance in beautiful mesmerizing patterns as a single Dewdrop floats above them.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy A handsome cavalier enters the scene and escorts the Sugar Plum Fairy to the center of the room. They dance to the most recognizable song in the entire ballet. The captivating pair dance lighter than air.
The dances in the Land of the Sweets are usually standard in performances of “The Nutcracker,” but are not always performed in this order.
End of the Act
The end of the act concludes when Clara’s dream fades away as the people of the Land of Sweets bid her farewell. She awakes at home next to her Christmas tree and nutcracker toy, where her majestic dream began.
“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that is popular during the holidays, as it is set during Christmastime. The score is by celebrated Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet begins with a Christmas party, a battle scene with mice, and a journey through the Land of Snow.
In the second act of “The Nutcracker,” the main characters, Clara and Prince, arrive at the Land of Sweets where they are welcomed by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Let the Dances Begin
When the characters describe their daring battle with the mice army, the Sugar Plum Fairy rewards them with a celebration of dances.
Different nationalities are represented by the dances of the sweets. When the ballet was created, several foreign delicacies were very special and rare. People did not travel the world frequently, so foreign products were much harder to get.
The following dances performed by the sweets represent delicacies that were considered special enough to be a part of Clara’s fantasy world. The dancers’ costumes resemble the “sweets” they bring from their countries.
Special Dance Description
Spanish Dance: Chocolate Chocolate characters dance to the lively music of trumpets and castanets of the Spanish fandango.
Arabian Dance: Coffee The women of coffee dance in veils and move their bodies like rising steam to an Arabian song.
Chinese Dance: Tea Mandarin tea dances to an exotic Asian flute chorus.
Russian Dance: Candy Canes Matryoshkas (Russian dolls) follow the Mandarin tea with leaping and dancing to an invigorating Russian trepak dance.
Mother Ginger: Bon-bons A giant gingerbread house, known as Mother Ginger, dances onto the Sugar Plum Fairy’s court. She opens her skirt and eight little gingerbread children come dancing out circling around her.
Reed Flutes: Marzipan This is also known as The Dance of the Mirlitons, with its delightful scoring for flutes. A mirliton is both a small sweet French cake and a type of musical instrument that produces a coarse, reedy sound.
Waltz of the Flowers Dancing flowers enter to the tune of the harp to perform a beautiful waltz.
Dance of the Dew Drop Fairy The flowers dance in beautiful mesmerizing patterns as a single Dewdrop floats above them.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy A handsome cavalier enters the scene and escorts the Sugar Plum Fairy to the center of the room. They dance to the most recognizable song in the entire ballet. The captivating pair dance lighter than air.
The dances in the Land of the Sweets are usually standard in performances of “The Nutcracker,” but are not always performed in this order.
End of the Act
The end of the act concludes when Clara’s dream fades away as the people of the Land of Sweets bid her farewell. She awakes at home next to her Christmas tree and nutcracker toy, where her majestic dream began.
The dances in the Land of the Sweets are usually standard in performances of “The Nutcracker,” but are not always performed in this order.
End of the Act
The end of the act concludes when Clara’s dream fades away as the people of the Land of Sweets bid her farewell. She awakes at home next to her Christmas tree and nutcracker toy, where her majestic dream began.
Discover the Many Roles in Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”
Guide to ‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet
Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet
Act One of The Nutcracker Ballet
Interesting Facts and Details About “The Nutcracker” Ballet
Which ballets were composed by Tchaikovsky?
All About the Main Female Character in the Nutcracker Ballet
Top 24 Composers of the Romantic Era
The Most Famous Classical Ballets of All Time
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
Photos of Famous People in Figure Skating
Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010
The Top 100 Christmas Songs
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Ballet
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
Top 10 Songs About Rain
Discover the Many Roles in Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”
Discover the Many Roles in Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”
Guide to ‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet
Guide to ‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet
Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet
Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet
Act One of The Nutcracker Ballet
Act One of The Nutcracker Ballet
Interesting Facts and Details About “The Nutcracker” Ballet
Interesting Facts and Details About “The Nutcracker” Ballet
Which ballets were composed by Tchaikovsky?
Which ballets were composed by Tchaikovsky?
All About the Main Female Character in the Nutcracker Ballet
All About the Main Female Character in the Nutcracker Ballet
Top 24 Composers of the Romantic Era
Top 24 Composers of the Romantic Era
The Most Famous Classical Ballets of All Time
The Most Famous Classical Ballets of All Time
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
Photos of Famous People in Figure Skating
Photos of Famous People in Figure Skating
Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010
Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010
The Top 100 Christmas Songs
The Top 100 Christmas Songs
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Ballet
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Ballet
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
Top 10 Songs About Rain
Top 10 Songs About Rain
Home
Entertainment
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Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
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Home
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Terms of Use
EU Privacy
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Humor
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
